Southern Tier Back Burner

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Lakewood, New York USA

A rough pour gave a cascade of bubbles racing towards the surface of this creamy red-amber brew. Aroma is strong of hop characteristics: citrus, flowers, and a little caramel maltiness. The alcohol is present in the aroma towards the back. Happily, this barley wine (repeat barley wine) is not dominated by the hops. Sure, I like hops as much as the next guy, but I don’t care for them in every beer I drink. This has a viscous sweet malty palate that sticks in there after each sip. Of course there is some hop bitterness, but its blends nicely with the alcohol sneaking up on you for the finish.

2008 Bottle - Thanks phhd! - Pours a beautiful ruddy copper with a small off white head...aroma is very hop forward, with some mellow fruity tones and a bit of cotton candy...flavour follows closely, and the hops are present, but it seems to get its bitterness from somewhere else, like a burnt sugar bitterness....finish is biting, but leaves a nice malty taste without any burn...different but solid...

22oz bottle. Aroma is toffee, dark caramel, pine, earth, and citrus hops. The aroma is somewhat faint, or maybe my nose is worthless after cooking Indian food all night long. The initial taste is very sweet, with toffee, dark caramel, rough pine, and lighter citrus notes followed by a strong earthiness, sticky residual sugars and warming alcohol. (ProMash has the final gravity at 1.031-pretty freaking high) A moderate bitterness persists in the finish. The alcohol and bitterness is keeping this beers high residual sugar in check. This is a nice enough beer, but it lacks some of the complexity of some of the better barleywines. Maybe some age would smooth this beer out? Of course some age might cause it to fall apart just as easily. If I revisit this, make sure it is an aged bottle.

Pours a deep copper brown with aSmall off white head. Aroma is moderately sweet grape, caramel, cherry, date and grapefruit. Flavor is sweet caramel, grape, grapefruit, piney and some dough. Full body, sticky texture. Finishes very long and bitter.

bomber from my secret santa. pours a dark amber, tarnished copper color with a quickly fading head, settling to some spotty lace. aroma of molasses, sweet caramel and a hint of dried fruit. flavor is kind of sweet, though not as sweet or cloying as the DR BW I had last night. also, in the flavor profile is some citrus and lurking in the background is a berry presence which doesn’t quite fit. slightly warming as I finish my first snifter, but overall the alcohol is well hidden. nice beer on a cold winter night.

22 oz bottle: Medium amber w/ coppery highlights and a thin, short lived lightl beige head. Grassy and piney hop notes start it off in the nose. Light alcohol notes, and tons of caramelly malt character. Also has a light, brown sugary touch. Some floral hoppy aroma show up after the beer warms a bit as does some light fig fruit from the combo of malts & alcohol. Bottle says dry hopped w/ Centennial and Amarillo..I ain’t getting it! Light toasty malt also makes an appearance when warmed. Starts out sweet, but finishes w/ a light, assertive bitterness. Herbal hoppy flavor is dominant over the bready and caramel malts. Pretty clean of fruity esters in the flavor. Aftertaste is herbal hops and bready malt, moreso the herbal hops. Some of the citrusy hops come in to the lingering aftertaste. Fuller body, lower medium carbonation, well hidden alcohol. I’m still not getting the dry hops, but oh well. maybe it’s just me today! Nice little beer though (I use the term little figuratively speaking)! Nice complexities as it warms w/ the malts.

650 bottle. Pours brown. Has a hops, raisins, and good amount of molasses in the nose... Alcohol too. Very sweet, bitter, and bold all in one sip.

Whoa! Big ole hoppy bitch here gang. 22 oz. brown bomber bottle. No freshness date seen, but none needed at this high an ABV either. Columbus hops assault your nose as soon as it’s opened. Poured out a deep amber color, sticky tan head, exceptional clarity. It has to be filtered. Too bad, because that means it won’t age worth a shit. Better drink it young. Aromas include Columbus hops, sweet malts, some yeast. Flavors are of sweet malts, burnt sugars, hops. Medium mouthfeel, average for a Barleywine. No burning alcohols, bonus points for that. Finished well balanced, which surprised me entirely.